The Loneliest Firefighter Is a Vegetarian

Anthony Harper, a 42-year-old member of the FDNY, is claiming that he’s being ostracized and abused by his fellow firefighters for being a vegetarian. According to Fox News, Harper says he began being treated differently after he stopped going in on the departments communal meals, saying there weren’t enough veggie-friendly options. “It seemed that every single meal there was a meat dish,” he said. “It was always chicken and red meat.” That’s when the bullying began.

Before you tell Harper to buck up and stop being so sensitive, however, you should hear the extent of the harassment he’s claiming–which includes being spiteful assignments of the most dangerous jobs, threats of physical violence from his peers, and a headbutting from a colleague over a “petty dispute.” Now, Harper says he’s been reassigned from his Greenpoint firehouse to FDNY headquarters in Downtown Brooklyn, where he’s been given desk jockey duty.

Department brass, however, are calling bullshit. “The idea that Firefighter Harper has been in any way harassed or bothered because he’s a vegetarian is nonsense,” said spokesman Jim Long. “Firehouses across the city have individuals who are vegetarians or who have special diets — i.e., food allergies, etc. — and they are accommodated all the time.”